Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution they are making to Operation Sophia (EUNAVFOR MED), and what assessment they have made of the success of that operation to date.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK is making a significant contribution to Operation Sophia, the European Union's naval operation countering migrant smugglers in the central Mediterranean. HMS ENTERPRISE has been deployed since 4 July 2015 (with a Merlin helicopter between July and October), and was joined by HMS RICHMOND for October and November. The UK is also contributing five staff officers in the Operational Headquarters.
HMS ENTERPRISE's work has been valuable in developing a picture of the maritime environment and smuggling routes, and UK ships have picked up almost a third of the total number of migrants rescued. HMS ENTERPRISE will remain deployed to Operation Sophia until the end of August. The UK contribution to Operation Sophia is one part of the Government's overall comprehensive approach to tackling the migrant crisis, which seeks to address the root causes of migration as well as its consequences.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution the Royal Navy has made to Operation Atalanta, and what contribution it is expected to make in the future.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The United Kingdom fulfils its enduring commitment through the provision of the two-star Operation Commander (Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces in rotation). The UK also contributes Operation Headquarters facilities (OHQ) at Northwood and on average 60 members of OHQ staff, approximately 40% of the total OHQ.
The Royal Navy (RN) will continue to contribute to Operation Atalanta. In addition the RN maintains a constant presence in the Gulf region. Anti-piracy and anti-terrorism measures are among a number of concurrent tasks carried out by the RN and supporting assets.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) the United Kingdom has spent on defence in each of the last five years; and under present medium-term plans what percentage of GDP defence expenditure is expected to be over the next five years.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) the United Kingdom has spent on Defence in each of the last five years, is shown below.
Financial Year | % of GDP spent on Defence |
2009 - 10 | 2.6% |
2010 - 11 | 2.6% |
2011 - 12 | 2.6% |
2012 - 13 | 2.3% |
2013 - 14 | 2.1% |
The United Kingdom expects to spend 2% of GDP on Defence this year and next year. Decisions for 2016-17 and beyond will be a matter for the next Spending Review.